If you follow my blog you’d probably notice by now that I struggle quite a bit with applying yogic principles in daily life. I’m aware of all my shortcomings (which is already a big step in the right direction) but I lack self- control.
However, ever since I’ve read Thich Nhat Hanh’s book ‘The Miracles of Mindfulness’ I gained amazing, simple yet powerful tool to change myself profoundly. This tiny book written in a very simple language came as a revelation, especially in terms of understanding the concept of time.
My favourite quote from this gem of a book is: ‘If you cannot wash the dishes in mindfulness, neither can you meditate while sitting in silence’. This sentence encapsulates the whole idea expounded in Nhat Hanh’s book. He encourages us to be mindful during everyday chores, walking, sitting, standing, waking up and even- which is far more difficult- listening to music, working, talking with someone and being overcome with emotions. Being mindful means being 100% aware of what you’re doing at this very moment and doing it full- heartedly, with total attention and focus. This practice, unlike seated meditation, can be done every waking hour.
Mindfulness, unlike seated meditation can be practiced round the clock
Nhat Hanh’s rejection of the concept of wasting time, forced me to rethink my whole life. I always try to economize on time, doing two things simultaneously, doing ‘less important things’ as quickly as possible and trying to spend my time in a ‘productive’ way. I’ve been living like that since I can remember: reading while brushing the teeth, taking off my hats and gloves already before entering the house, watching only the movies with a message…
I thought that not wasting time is very yogic. I had the image of Swami Sivananda being an extremely busy person, spending every second of his life either on sadhana (spiritual practice which is obviously never a waste of time- it’s the essence of life) or on directly serving others. Thich Nhat Hanh has opened my eyes saying that once you start considering other people’s time as your own, your time becomes unlimited. So, my mum talking about her cats and my husband reading me article on Indian politics don’t take my precious time. Their words are the most important thing in the world when I listen to them attentively and with open an heart.
Thich Nhat Hanh said that if you do a particular action with full attention and awareness, being present rather than rushing through it and thinking what you’re going to do next, this activity, however mundane, will become the only reality for you. And as such, it couldn’t be annoying or boring anymore. As soon as I’ve read that, I immediately tried it out. Believe me, if you practice with conviction, it works! You’re no longer irritated you have a pile of dishes to wash before you can sit and watch a movie or that the train is late and you have to wait to get home for another (oh, how long!) 15 minutes. You are just there, semi-smiling, engaged in the simplest task possible. The secret is in following the breath, that inevitably brings you here and now.
Encouraged with those small yet significant improvements, I tried another mindfulness exercise described in the book. I chose Sunday as my mindfulness day- an entire day devoted to staying present- with serious doubts whether it’s going to work. I was supposed to avoid distraction by limiting talking and staying present even if watching or reading (though avoiding those activities if possible). I was also meant to do simple tasks such as cleaning and cooking much slower than usual. My husband could not believe what was happening. I maintained smile and peace for the WHOLE day. I was patient, attentive to others and fully content. I don’t think it has ever happened before for such a long stretch of time (except for the periods spent in various ashrams) so he was astounded. He thought I’m faking it, just for the sake of proving him I can be this way. But no. I was really feeling calm and happy whole day long. And the secret lied in the fact that I did not allow my mind to plan or think about the future. Not for a second. The real freedom and happiness truly lies in living in the present moment. This experiment proves it without a doubt.
It’s relatively easy to stay mindful during Thai Yoga Massage or Yoga
Sadly, my mind is normally absolutely obsessed about planning. Every day I make a to-do list. Every moment I am doing one thing, my mind is already thinking of what will be my next step. There are just a few moments of respite for me: yoga, Thai Yoga Massage and meditation. That doesn’t mean my thoughts stop but I’m far more relaxed about them, let them flow in and out rather than pay too much attention to them and feed them. Thich Nhat Hanh has showed me the way to keep that state also in daily activities.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhist monk, author, poet and peace activist
Having made improvement in mindfulness on daily basis, I’d try to follow his advice with dealing with emotions, too. Yoga taught me I should not be drawn into likes and dislikes or any kind of duality games, Vipassana taught me to be equanimous when meditating, whether I feel pain or pleasant sensations. Nhat Hanh taught me to envelop emotions in mindfulness rather than suppress them. As soon as the mindfulness arises, the emotion will calm as it will be suddenly seen from a perspective.
‘The miracle of mindfulness’ is about Buddhist mindfulness methods in principle but Nhat Hanh makes it clear those methods are open and beneficial to anyone, regardless of faith. It has nothing to do with worship or religion. It’s just a very practical and efficient technique to improve the quality of life. The final part of the book contains a few Buddhist sutras which explain philosophical background of Nhat Hahn’s teachings.
You don’t need to be a Buddhist to practice Buddhist mindfulness techniques
It’s really worth to read that book and even more worth to practice the exercises given. If everybody did follow those teachings, the world would be a better place. Thich Nhat Hanh says: ‘In a family, if there is one person who practices mindfulness, the entire family will be more mindful. Because of the presence of one member who lives in mindfulness, the entire family is reminded to live in mindfulness.’
Which I wish to all of you.